What I like about this book is that it's a real "how-to" book, but without being super techie. Alison really dives into the specifics of what you need to do to set up a website and online business.

Who should read this book?

People who are setting up their websites themselves.

People who are hiring someone else to set up their website, but still want to have a basic understanding of what's going on.

People who want guidance in how to hire a professional to set up their site.

What you'll learn

The book covers the basics from how to determine your ideal customer, to what content you should develop for your site, to how to set up a website and email, to how to drive traffic to your site, all in a short easy-to-read format.

Here are some of the key takeaways I found useful:

Developing Content

Look at your competition - How do you compare to the competition? You must differentiate yourself and your products. This sounds simple yet I see very few websites that do a good job of differentiating themselves.

Answer your visitors' questions - Again, this sounds simple, but it's not always easy. Make a list of all the possible questions your ideal customer would have and make sure you create content that answers those questions. Also make sure you have a FAQ page.

Put together powerful testimonials - One key way to do that is to paint a "before and after" picture. Outline the client's situation before he/she came to you for help, state what you did to improve the client's situation, and any benefits/improvements the client experienced once the change was implemented.

You'll find lots of other ideas on what content you should develop to persuade your ideal visitor to buy from you.

Website Design and Development

Learn the pros and cons of certain functionality like auto play video, flash, and Pay Pal vs. other payment methods. Also learn the basics about CRM systems and how to choose the right one for you.

Learn the pros and cons of template vs. custom designed websites. There are advantages to both. It's important to plan ahead and know what you may want to add in the future so you don't have to create a whole new website a year down the road.

Questions to ask programmers and designers. It's worth the book just for these questions you should ask to make sure you're hiring someone who knows what they are doing.

What I like most about this book is that you hear directly from Vibrant Women, in their own words. Even with my extensive background in marketing to women, I learned quite a few new things. As the authors state in the introduction:

VibrantNation.com is the biggest website that gathers women 50+ exclusively. As a result, those of us who manage the site spend all day not just immersed in the world of women 50+, but listening to what they talk about when they know they are talking only with women their age. We have our finger on the pulse of a fascinating, vibrant tribe of women who populate a Vibrant Nation almost forty million strong.

Focus on the why, not just the what. The introduction title is "Science Meets Creativity." We often see ads that are successful, but don't know exactly why the ad was successful. My problem with "creativity" is that it's often difficult to replicate. Dan Hill uses science like facial coding to actually measure true emotional reactions in test subjects. He shares research on how the brain reacts to different types of messages.

Specific actionable recommendations. The second, and more important reason I like this book is that it gives you specific recommendations from wording of your ads to types and placement of images I kept jotting down notes for clients I'm working with and specific ideas for improving their marketing materials. Now THAT'S the sign of a book worth reading.

Dan points to this quote, "Advertising does not first get attention then create an emotion. Advertising creates an emotion which results in attention." I think this is the key to the whole book.

There is a lot of discussion lately about the “new” paradigm of motivation for our employees. The discussion, driven by books such as "Drive" by Dan Pink and others before him, focus on the need to tap into a more noble vein and eliminate the plebian tools we used in the past, the awards and the incentives, and in their stead provide vision and direction but allow the individual to work autonomously, learn and grow and be part of a larger effort.

I get that and I agree with it. At a basic level this is good stuff. But in a day-to-day business world it may not be effective.

Strategic vision is important. Getting people aligned is important. But without incentives to really break behavioral inertial we’re doomed.

What She's Not Telling You takes a brutally honest look at the Half Truths women tell not only to marketers, but to themselves. I found myself nodding my head, "OMG - that is SO true" and laughing out loud.

The book looks at specific things you, as a marketer, can do to make sure you aren't relying on Half Truths which can sabotage your efforts. The secret to success is moving beyond her Half Truths to her Whole Truths.

A Half Truth is something women are willing to admit. A Whole Truth is what women really believe, do, and buy.

Women will save the Whole Truth for those who respect who she is and what her life is about, who ask smarter questions, and who are honestly intent on hearing her answers.

November 21, 2009

Talk to almost any woman, and many men, and you'll hear the same complaint - Life is becoming unmanageable.I don't have time to devote to the things I care most about.Work is often the major culprit. 60-80 hour weeks are far too common. (I hear some of you saying, "80 hours - you wusses. I put in at least 100.")

I used to wear the number of hours I worked as a badge of honor. I don't anymore. I think the breaking point for me came when my father was dying. I'd check in on him whenever I could, but I didn't spend much time because I always had to get back to my computer to finish up one project or another. He was so proud of me and so understanding of my schedule. But finally, one day, as I was rushing off as usual, he grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye and croaked, "Don't run off." (He had Parkinsons and had very little voice left).

Something in me just broke. From that moment on, I said "I'm getting out. I don't know how, but I'm going to find a way."

I'm happy to say that I now run my own marketing to women consultancy. Do I still put in the long hours/work every weekend/face stress down on a daily basis? You bet. But I'm doing it on my terms and on my schedule.

Everyone has a story. And in Womenomics, you'll find you are not alone in your struggles. But the message of the book is not one of despair, but rather one of hope.

November 18, 2009

I'm a long-time fan of NextStage's Joseph Carrabis. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Joseph in New York and it was one of the more interesting hours I've spent. We're talking big brain here folks. But without the ego - a rare combination.

What I enjoy most about the work Joseph Carrabis does is that he focuses not just on the what, but on the why. Many in the website conversion arena can tell you what website, landing page, banner ad, etc. performed the best. But they can't always tell you why.

That's what Reading Virtual Minds - Volume I: Science and History is all about - not only what people do online, but why they do it. I love Joseph's approach because he uses a combination of many different scientific approaches: Neurology, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Semiotics, Linguistics and many more.

Book Review

Imagine if you could create a website that was more persuasive then even your very top sales person?Imagine that website could adjust the messaging and customer experience based on feedback from each individual customer.And best of all imagine it could make those adjustments not just from the customer’s conscious feedback, but from their unconscious feedback as well?

How cool would that be?How much money could you make from such a website?

November 17, 2009

Welcome to book review week. For those who do not know, I have a confession: I am a book-a-holic. Seriously. If you visited my home or office you would notice one thing - piles of books everywhere. I usually have 10 or 12 in my "to read" stack, and consume 4 or 5 books simultaneously.

It's gotten so bad my accountant commented on my "Amazon habit," with a strong suggestion to get it under control or risk the financial consequences.

But there's just so much good stuff out there! This week I'll be reviewing some of the best reads I've found recently, focusing on marketing and marketing to women.

First up - Women Want More

Women Want More authors Michael J. Silverstein and Kate Sayre of the Boston Consulting Group conducted a study of 12,000 women in forty countries. Here's what the book is about:

Through quantitative data, profiles of individual women and stories of winning companies, Women Want More provides business leaders with the understanding and practices they need to capture their share of the rising "female economy."

I really enjoyed Why She Buys. It has some theory, some brain research, amusing anecdotes and real-life case studies.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Why She Buys:

"If the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female. If the business world had a sex, it would be male. And therein lies the pickle."

"It's human nature for people to assume that their own preferences are natural, normal, and "right" without realizing that those preferences may in fact be rooted in gender."

"Women want to achieve success in their life just as much as men do,but their definition of success is different. Achievement is something more internal and not necessarily tied to external factors like beating someone else. That's why hyper-competitive messages in advertising typically don't resonate with women. When women compete, they compete against themselves."

June 16, 2009

Women 25-54 report that on average they think about 9.5 things in any given five-minute period. Furthermore, almost 6 in 10 women say they have much more on their minds now, compared with five years ago. That is 18 percent higher than the total public polled, 20 percent higher than men ages 25-54, and 35 percent higher than men in general.

More things are competing for women's attention, they are easily distracted, and they are not just thinking about themselves. Three-fourths agree they spend more time thinking about the needs of others than their own.

The question for brands and advertisers, is how do you market to this time-starved, multi-minding female? Too Busy To Shop has some terrific answers.